Study Jar

Chad has been studying an insane amount all summer long, but especially these last three weeks.  He was starting to fizzle out so I came up with a small incentive for him.  His goal was to study another 100 hours before his third CPA exam.  I got 100 dollar bills and told him he got to put a dollar in the jar for every hour he studied.  He only got the money if he got all 100 dollars in the jar. 

 He did it.  100 hours of studying in just 17 days.  That's an average of almost 6 hours a day!  Way to go Chad!  I'm proud of you for sticking with it.  I had no idea somebody could study this much.

We are still waiting on results from the third exam.  He scored a 73 on the first two exams.  You need a 75 to pass, so he is really, REALLY close.  Only about 20% pass the first time and the overall pass rate is between 40-45% for each exam so a 73 is a great score for the first attempt.  Our goal is to not have to take any of the exams more than 2 times.  Keep your fingers crossed for Chad! 

End of Summer Fun

We ended our summer outtings with a trip to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.  It was a really fun field trip.  We had 30 kids and 5 chaperones.

They took the kids in the classroom and taught them a few things about marine life.

Then it was off to the aquarium to see all the animals.

My favorites are the jellyfish and octopus.

The older boys had me try about 10 times to get a picture with the sharks in the background.  Here's my best attempt!

The 5 of us brave chaperones!

Farmers Market

Chad is always studying and luckily for me my mom and dad are usually good to keep me company on the weekends.  After Vance's t-ball game we headed to Tivoli's farmers market.  If you haven't been you need it, especially if you have kids.  Everything for the kids is free - they just ask for tips.

One lady had hula hoops and bless Vance's heart he was DETERMINED to hula hoop.  He got close, but never really nailed it.  I love his focus though.  We must have stood there for at least 15 minutes and watched countless other children come and go before he called it quits.

Keller thought he would try too.

Grandma got a balloon hat that enchanted Keller.

Vance got an airbrush tattoo.  I tried to convince him to get something else, but he insisted on a skull.  I decided there are bigger battles I intend to win and let him get it.  He has loved it and is already asking to go back. 

We picked up some fresh and delicious produce while we were there.  I know the food is a little more expensive, but it's worth it for the produce items you really love.

Then we went to the play area and enjoyed some yogurt while the kids (and grandparents) played.

Thanks once again Mom and Dad for always being up for an adventure. The days of Chad studying go by so much quicker when we're having fun!

One Step Closer

Usually Keller has absolutely zero interest in trying to walk.  When we hold his hand and try to help him he will just let his legs give out and sit right back down.  Tonight however was a different story.  He all of the sudden decided to use his walker.  He cruised around the house navigating corners and even going backwards for like 15 minutes.  He's also been standing on his own for small amounts of time.  I think we might be one step closer to walking.

 When he was down we all showed him our excitement and wrestled on the floor a little.

Olympics

I loved watching the olympics the past couple of weeks.  I think I watched just about all of the NBC coverage. 

What I love so much about the olympics is how inspiring they are.  It shows that success doesn't come easy but with hard work and dedication.  It shows how great of things you can accomplish if you set your mind to it. 

I'm amazed at each and every olympian, but there were definitely some standouts these games for me.  I'm sure I have already forgotten some of my favorites but I thought I would document for the sake of journaling the key moments.

Michael Phelps.  He is amazing.  22 olympic medals.  22!!!  I actually admire him more for choosing to take his training a little easier the last 4 years and living a little.  I know some criticized him for relying too much on his natural talent, but when you've got that much talent who the heck cares!  I'm sure I'll never see a swimmer like him again in my life time.

I always love gymnastics, but it is so much more fun to watch when you win.  The maturity of these YOUNG women as competitors astounds me.  5 medals for women's gymnastics this olympics!

I love Misty May and Kerri Walsh.  They are the goddesses of beach volleyball.  They are amazing.  They have truly dominated the sport for the last decade.  Decade!  Can you imagine being the best at anything for even a day?  To stay on top for over 10 years is incredible.  I loved the raw emotions after they won the gold medal.

I loved Missy Franklin.  She is a fierce competitor (as all olympians must be) yet she always seemed happy and bubbly.  Her good mood seemed contagious.  I also loved that she refused to move to receive better training.  I would bet that Colorado's swimming programs get better quick thanks to her.  I'm sure we'll be seeing lot more of Missy.

I love Allyson Felix and was so happy when she won the 200 meter gold medal.  During the track events I always think about what it must be like to train for 4 years for an event that takes less than a minute.  Your dreams can be fulfilled or broken in just a few seconds. 

There are a few athletes from other countries that were stand-outs as well.  The biggest one for me is Andy Murray winning gold in men's singles tennis.  He has been a top 4 player for quite awhile now, but he can't ever seem to clinch a final.  How awesome to have your biggest win in the olympics hosted by your home country?  I am usually a Federer fan, but hats off to you Andy Murray!

How about Oscar Pistorius???  His story was the most inspirational.  Whenever I think something is holding me back I'm going to think about him and how I'm responsible for my own destiny.  I hope he knows how many lives he affected for the better.

This last one I mention (mostly because his talent is so extraordinary than because I love his story) is Usain Bolt.  He is insane fast!  He makes it look effortless and wins by such large margins.  I do however wish he was a little more modest.  He has established himself as a sprinting legend.

I'm sad it's over, but I am looking forward to getting more sleep.  I stayed up way too late way too many nights in a row.  My poor husband fell asleep on the couch or went to bed by himself...sorry Chad!  However, I am inspired and have been putting way more effort into my own workouts.

Way to end the olympics at the top of the medal count Team USA - 104 medals!!!  I'm proud to be an American!

Yummy Toes

Yummy toes!

Silly kids!

Keller-Antics

I think Keller's version of Vance-isms is going to be called Keller-Antics.  This first post will be short but definitely worthy of documenting.

Today Keller was crawling around the floor.  If you have a crawling infant you know the special talent they have of finding every little thing on the floor and stuffing it in their mouth.  I noticed he was gnawing on something and went to go fish it out. 

Any guesses on what it was?

Take a guess.  Think of something nasty...

A bug?  A dust bunny?

No - even worse in my opinion.

The object I fished out of my sweet little boy's mouth was CHAD'S BIG TOENAIL CLIPPING!  G-R-O-S-S!!!  Chad clipped his toenails a few weeks ago and the big toenail clipping flung away and we couldn't find it.  Well, Keller found it today and thought it looked like a nice snack.  I threw up in my mouth a little when I realized what it was.

What's the grossest thing you've gotten out of your baby's mouth?  Can you top a toenail?

More Summer Fun

We've continued to have a wonderful summer and I'm loving getting together with my girlfriends every Thursday.  If you're looking for something to do you should definitely join us...I mean it!

I think one of the favorite's for the kids thus far as Pump It Up. 

I was surprised how much fun Keller had crawling around.  The older kids were good to climb around with him for a little bit.  Vance never tires of going down the big slide!

One of the adult's favorites was the tour at California Pizza Kitchen.  It was so cute!!!  When we got there they had crayons and coloring pages ready for all the kids.  Then once everyone arrived all the kids got to make their own custom pizzas.

Luckily for Keller, Aunt Amy was cool to hold him most the morning.  She's a trooper!

Vance's masterpiece - a smiley face pizza!

Then they got to go behind the scenes to see the fridge, pantry, drink area, etc. 

After that the kids ate their pizzas and then got brownies and whip cream for dessert.  Colton is a dessert lover so it was no surprise he didn't touch his pizza but managed to down his brownie in record time.

Here's all of the kids with the CPK employee.  He was amazing and made it such a fun experience for all the kids.  Out of all the kids who were there - only 1 girl!

We brought suits for the kids and let them play in the water while us moms chatted - my favorite part!  I'm blessed with AMAZING women in my life.

This week we went swimming at the Rio.  The boys had so much fun playing with the sand toys and building sand castles.  Even Keller had fun terrorizing the older boys by destroying their creations.

I also went to Mirabelli Community Center's penny carnival.  It's comparable to an elementary school's fall festival.  I have to admit I HATE this event, but because I'm the most amazing mom ever (haha) I go anyway.  The kids love it.  They send it slow lines to play lame games that are poorly organized.  However, none of that bothers them so I smile and go with the flow!  Keller was happy as long as he had candy in his mouth.

The favorite this year was the cake walk.  All of the boys went home with a cake.  It's safe to say we have too much cake at our house!

I'm glad the kids had fun and can't wait to go next year. (sense the sarcasm?)

Only one more month until we're back to reality.  We have lots of fun plans to keep us busy!